Cathode ray tubes (CRTs) operate at high voltages causing the glass display screen surface of the CRT to become electrically charged by static induction. This static electricity attracts dust and other contaminants in the air causing them to collect on the display screen's outer surface which degrades the video image presented on the display screen. In addition, when a person touches the CRT's display screen, he or she may experience a slight shock by discharge of the static electricity. In addition to being unpleasant to the touch, this static discharge may disrupt the operation of a computer when the CRT is employed in a computer terminal. Other types of video displays such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma discharge screens (PDPs), vacuum florescent screens, and gas discharge screens also suffer from the aforementioned problems.
The build-up of static charge on the faceplate of a video display arises because of the dielectric nature of glass. Current antistatic coatings for video display screens typically include semiconductor-type materials such as antimony doped tin oxide which is typically mixed with an organic solvent such as ethanol or isopropanol. Unfortunately, problems are frequently encountered in this coating process during video display manufacture because these antistatic coating materials are very sensitive to surface contamination and wiping residues which remain after the display screen is cleaned. For example, water marks frequently remain after the display screen is cleaned during video display manufacture and assembly. This surface contamination and residual deposits on the display screen reduce the manufacturing yields of the video displays.
The present invention addresses the aforementioned limitations of the prior art by providing an antistatic coating for virtually all types of video display screens which is easily applied in a uniform manner on the display screen, is resistant to atmospheric contamination and water marks, and substantially increases the manufacturing yield of video displays employing the inventive antistatic coating.